Governor Scott’s long touted project the rail service, All Aboard Florida, plans to whisk passengers from Orlando to Miami and back again. Or so that is the publicly stated purpose of this project.

According to Channel 9’s investigative reporter, Christopher Heath, in Brevard County there appears there is another purpose for this project (see story below). That purpose is to transport LNG (liquefied natural gas) most of which will be supplied by the Sabal Trail Pipeline if it is permitted by the Army Corps of Engineers and other state permits that are pending.

This transportation of LNG is very dangerous and trains transporting natural gas or LNG have earned the name of ‘bomb trains’ due to explosions that have occurred in other areas of the country causing deaths and injuries. Most of the time these explosions have taken place at night while innocent citizens are sleeping in the safety of their homes.

The question here is are Governor Scott’s (and others) personal investments in Spectra Energy and the pipeline it is connected to (Transco pipeline and utility investment/connections with FPL, Duke) as well as this “commuter’ railway in the best interest of the people of Florida or serve a need and necessity for Floridians?

That answer is a resounding NO as unregulated LNG facilities along the rail corridor are already ‘popping up’ and operating — an example is American LNG in Hialeah now using gas supplied by existing FGT pipeline — the highly populated areas and the obvious additional risks to lives and property are obvious.

All of this is to export fracked gas from utility company invested fracking fields to other countries such as Jamaica which is set to be a central hub for the Caribbean among others in South America, the Bahamas.

There will be no place safe in Florida if we continue to allow our current legislator and Governor to implement their plans for a short term profit for a few at a long term cost to the people of Florida, Alabama, and Georgia via Spectra’s Sabal Trail pipeline. This is true for the rest of the country which is battling the same LNG pipeline, LNG transportation, and LNG export issues from companies such as Spectra Energy that we must rise up and nip in the bud now.

Heath pored through hundreds of pages of federal records to uncover the rail line, which is billed as a high speed commuter project is now planning to transport something else.

Eyewitness News has reported the rail service, All Aboard Florida plans to whisk passengers from Orlando to Miami and back again.

But 9 Investigates learned that its parent company, Florida East Coast Rail, has other plans for the tracks.

“There is a possibility that we may be moving in the foreseeable future,” said resident Connie Ward.

Ward has lived in Titusville for seven years. Her home is fewer than 3 miles from where Florida East Coast Industries has plans for a liquefied natural gas plant.

“We don’t need an evacuation plan. If that thing starts to go up, all we need to do is put our heads between our legs and kiss our rear ends goodbye,” Ward told Heath.

The nation currently has an abundance of natural gas. Domestically, it is transported through pipelines. But if it is shipped, it needs to be liquefied. It must be moved from plant to port, which is where rail lines come in.

It’s the same railroad that All Aboard Florida plans to use for its high-speed commuter service.

The rail cuts through highly populated cities and counties along Florida’s coast.

“That is a real concern of ours. We don’t believe there are enough regulations in place,” said Brent Hanlon of Citizens Against Rail Expansion.

The Martin County Fire Department issued a report that showed a possible blast radius would impact 1,200 residents. The report showed that such an accident would exceed local response capabilities.

Eyewitness News reached out to All Aboard Florida, but were told to contact Florida East Coast.

Eyewitness News contacted them, but our emails have not been returned.

The Federal Railroad Administration confirmed the application is still pending.”

You can also join us to learn more and help by joining WWALS Waterkeeper @ WWALS.net —
WWALS Watershed Coalition advocates for conservation and stewardship of the Withlacoochee, Willacoochee, Alapaha, Little, and Upper Suwannee River watersheds in south Georgia and north Florida through awareness, environmental monitoring, and citizen activities.

And/or join Spectrabusters by submitting an email to Spectrabusters@gmail.com along with a short bio to stay informed and get involved in action against this danger to our water and very lives.

On SBOCC agenda for Suwannee County July 15 5,2016 — Sabal Trail Transmission and Suwannee County Libraries:

The meeting starts at 6:00 PM {update}

Judicial Annex

218 Parshley St. SW

Live Oak, FL 32064

Item # 15 on the SBOCC agenda. “The Suwannee River Regional Library requests Board approval to apply for a community grant and enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with Sabal Trail Transmission to provide funding for enhanced library automation services to the citizens of Suwannee County. Funding in the amount of $60,343.00.”

“A memorandum of understanding describes a bilateral or multilateral agreement between two or more parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action. It is often used in cases where parties either do not imply a legal commitment or in situations where the parties cannot create a legally enforceable agreement. It is a more formal alternative to a gentlemen’s agreement.”

This is a paltry sum of bribery money for a county whose land mass is 97% recharge area for Floridan Aquifer — our sole source of drinking water. the dangers of boring under the Suwannee River and threat to 100’s + of springs in the springs heartland of Florida.

Question is what is Suwannee County doing for this money? SBOCC has banned fracking and requested Army Corps of Engineers do a Supplemental EIS at the Suwannee River Boring site in which Sabal Trail left out the two 1st magnitude springs within 1 mile of the pipeline as well as the sinkholes in the pipeline path in their environmental impact study used to receive permits from FERC and FDEP.

Or is this chump change just an Andrea Grover ‘we will be good neighbors’ move to hide the fact they use THINNER PIPE in rural areas — to make us feel more significant? No something more than that….

Suwannee County would be wise to refuse this money even though the program it is intended for is a great idea. This pocket change and agreement is not. Remember Spectra energy is a multinational billion dollar company with well heeled investors going to the top of the economic food chain.

Perhaps the millions of dollars spent on lessons not heeded about sinkholes at the Klausner Sawmill site (in the same area) — which are underground caverns that cannot be filled — have not been learned as Falmouth is just 1 or less miles from the Suwannee River proposed boring site. Falmouth is part of the Falmouth Cathedral system and can visually demonstrate to one that it is one of those caverns where the ‘roof’ has collapsed exposing the cavern just 30 ft below ground level. Sabal Trail plans to cross this cave and underground river system right by Pilgrim’s Pride HWY 90 next to another sinkhole.

Remember all of these caves and water conduits are connected folks and OUR SOLE SOURCE OF WATER.

Now 28 + sinkholes at the sawmill site may not be anything to most but expensive but you go talking a 36″ thinner pipeline carrying 1.1 cu. Billion Ft of gas a day with a very large compressor station in O’Brien near Ichetucknee to export fracked gas to other countries (with no benefit to citizens) and you might want to take pause and think of our lives and those of the ones that follow us. Perhaps Sabal Trail could take their money and train local Emergency Services on dealing with pipeline ruptures, leaks and explosions.

What is this memorandum of understanding? What is Spectra Energy owner of Sabal Trail getting out of this? A retraction of a certain letter asking for a review of the river crossing?